Chained - Zara Novak Page 0,34

awe. As they stepped inside each of them let their eyes take in the room, their heels snapping over the marble tiles as they crossed the hall to meet us. When they were ten feet away, they finally stopped. Vincent nodded at his men to leave, and they did.

“Welcome,” Vincent said to the three women. “Good travels?”

“As good as one can expect when travelling to this forgotten point of the world,” the woman in the middle said. I quickly skimmed my eyes across the group and took them in. The woman in the middle had shiny red hair the color of blood. She was dressed in leathers, looking like she had just come from a biker convention. On her right there was a woman with startling white hair. She had black boots, a leather jacket and a white dress. The last woman had short black hair and a simple black dress that finished at her knees.

They were all breath taking.

“Who is this?” the red-haired vampire said to Vincent, looking in my direction.

“This is my wife, Rachel,” he said. “Rachel, I would like you to meet the Vigliati sisters. This is Carmen,” he said, pointing to the red-headed biker chick. “That is Della.” White hair. “And this is Rose.” Black hair.

“Wife?” Carmen said while raising her brow. “When did you get married?”

“She is a slave, nothing more,” Vincent said. “A necessity to protect myself. The arrangement may or may not be temporary.”

I glanced over at him, feeling a slight pang of worry. That casual note of indifference worried me, making me feel like I was disposable.

Well you’re not. I told myself. He needs you, even if he doesn’t realize it.

Rose, the black-haired girl in the black dress lifted her chin and breathed in. “She’s a breeder.” The rest of the daughters gasped, scenting the air also as if they would recognize it somehow. I found it bizarre that these creatures could detect something about myself that even I didn’t know.

“It’s true,” Della, the white-haired vampire said.

Carmen laughed. “Very impressive, Cartello. Bringing a gun to a swordfight. You think this will impress father?”

“I don’t care, to be honest,” Vincent said frankly. “But I wonder how many of the other leaders have a breeder in their house. I wonder, how long has it been since your father had one?”

Their eyes all turned cold. Vincent might have thought he was getting the upper hand with his little surprise, but I could tell he was just pissing them off. To make matters worse things were only just beginning. Something told me they hadn’t gone for the jugular yet.

“Enough of the pleasantries,” Carmen said. “We don’t want to spend any longer here than necessary.”

“You are not spending the night?” Vincent asked.

“No,” Carmen said, laughing to herself again. She looked at me. “I’d rather we didn’t.”

I furrowed my brow. Had she taken personal offence at me being here?

“Very well,” Vincent said. “Your father sent you here to ask something of me, get it over with. What’s the bullshit?”

Each of the daughters looked at one another, and I sensed something in the unspoken glance they shared. The idea came to me that perhaps Vigliati hadn’t sent them here at all. They had come of their own volition. They were trying to prove something to him.

I then noticed the way that Carmen, who seemed to be the leader of the group, was looking at Vincent. Could it be that her indifference to me was prompted by the real reason for their visit? Had they come to make some sort of alliance through other means?

It hit me then. Carmen wanted Vincent. They wanted a marriage of convenience. The fact that he had now been taken by a breeder put a wrench in their plans.

“Is that it?” Carmen said, crossing her arms. “Not even an offer of a drink? Chivalry really is dead.”

Vincent’s jaw tensed. “You said you wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, so let’s honor that goal. Tell me what your father wants.”

“Logan Monroe,” Della said casually. She brushed a crease out of her floral white dress and blinked her long black lashes.

“Monroe?” Vincent asked.

“Dead,” Rose said. She glanced at me, looking as if she was still tasting my scent. It unnerved me.

Vincent just laughed. “You want me to assassinate another family head, in a time of peace. You want me to start a war. Give me a break. Xavier wouldn’t want that. To start a war now, that would be insane.”

Carmen shrugged. “Everyone knows